Dollar Round, Period 2 (BG-1200 to BG-1299)

About This Coin

Spanning BG numbers 1200 through 1299 in the Breen-Gillio catalog, these Period 2 round gold dollars represent the later phase of California fractional gold dollar production, dating primarily from the 1870s and early 1880s when the series had transitioned from a functional medium of commerce into collectible novelty pieces and souvenirs. Round dollars in this period typically feature Indian head or Liberty head obverse designs paired with wreath or denominational reverses, struck in gold of varying fineness by San Francisco jewelers and die sinkers who maintained the tradition after its original economic rationale had faded. Period 2 fractional gold pieces were produced in smaller quantities than their Period 1 predecessors, as the establishment of a branch mint in San Francisco in 1854 had eliminated the acute small-change shortage that originally drove fractional gold production. A notable auction result of $11,000 in MS64 grade at Heritage Auctions demonstrates the collector demand for high-grade examples from this later production era. The BG-1200 to BG-1299 range encompasses numerous die varieties from multiple makers, each bearing distinctive design elements that allow attribution to specific workshops and engravers within the San Francisco fractional gold manufacturing community.